Michigan

Lisa Schumann cleans off tables at Heather's restaurant in Bay City after lunch, Thurs., Aug. 29, 2013. Schumann said she has been working since December and has definitely seen an increase in the restaurant's popularity during her time.
( Katie Bailey | MLive.com)

Here's a look at the top five largest employment sectors outside of farming in Saginaw County as of July. The figures were compiled by the Bureau of Labor Market Information & Strategic Initiatives:

Service providing: 70,100

Trade, transportation and utilities: 16,300

Educational and health services: 15,800

Goods producing: 14,000

Manufacturing: 10,900

And here's a look at Bay County's top five largest sectors in terms of non-farm employment as of July 2013, according to the agency:

Service providing: 31,700

Trade, transportation and utilities: 7,800

Educational and health services: 6,900

Leisure and hospitality: 5,100

Goods producing: 5,000

Jeff Aula, an economic analyst with the bureau, said the leisure and hospitality sector, which includes restaurants, has grown in Saginaw and Bay counties over the last year, as it has statewide.

In July 2012, the leisure and hospitality sector employed an estimated 9,200 people in Saginaw County, compared to 9,600 this year. Bay County had 4,900 people working in that sector in July 2012 compared to 5,100 a year later.

Worse is on the horizon. Its really disgusting when the property tax bill comes in twice every year and continues to go up. Robotic and automation have replaced millions and millions of jobs. Now all your left with is low wage/temp jobs. But people’s housing, medical, clothing needs still remain, even though a robot took all their ways to make a living.

Reader southgate1 says her daughter works as a waitress and is doing just fine:

My daughter is a waitress and in high school. She has made upwards of 18 an hour to 8 with an median average of about 11.50. She makes 2.85 an hour, I see these whiners at the Mcdonalds and other fast food chains demanding more money. Why don't they become a waitress or waiter? It's fast food might as well get paid what your worth. Instead of just collecting a paycheck with attitudes. She has learned quickly how things work.

Thirty years of corporate tax breaks and this is what we have to show for it. Remember when Snidely campaigned on jobs? Instead of jobs we get higher taxes on the middle class and poor, more giant tax breaks for corporations who don't need them, RTW pushed through in the middle of the night, city bankruptcies, Charter schools, for profit prisons and war on women. Until we get Campaign finance reform, Fair trade and end corporate lobbying, corporations will continue to fleece us with their bought up reps.

This region hung itself on General Motors and associated spin off manufacturing. They got smart and pulled out, just like all the young college locals with a brain Nobody in local government got the memo. Nobody in local government had the brains, leadership, power or money to do anything about it. Now you got service jobs, fast food chains, low wages and welfare galore gone wild. Local leaders who get excited when something like a Popeye's moves in with a few more minimum wage jobs. Welcome to the new Saginaw. You asked for it you got Toyota.

I have been advocating for years the idea of "buying American". If we all did it, jobs would be back in a heartbeat. Congress is so controlled by lobbyists of big corporations that it will take a major movement by American people to get this done. Let's start it right here in Michigan. Buy local, regional, state and country and make sure products are made in the USA.

Heather Jordan covers Saginaw Township news and business for
MLive/The Saginaw News/Bay City Times. She can be reached at
989-450-2652 or hjordan@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.